


an experience.

by lesbiennes



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Biphobia, Bisexual Annabeth Chase, Bisexual Percy Jackson, Character Study, Coming Out, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Implied Leo/Nico, M/M, One Sided Luke/Percy, Referenced/Brief Child Abuse, one sided Nico/Percy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-12
Updated: 2018-09-12
Packaged: 2019-07-11 07:27:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15967565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesbiennes/pseuds/lesbiennes
Summary: Percy Jackson never really had time to think about his sexuality.[One-Shot, Scenes of Life]





	an experience.

Percy is seven when he first hears the word. The television is playing, and a gossip reporter is talking about a celebrity who just ‘came out’ as bisexual. He doesn’t know what either word means.

“Bisexuals,” Gabe says, “are confused and selfish. You gotta pick guys or women!” He goes on an hour long spiel on how the LGBT agenda is just a bunch of brainwashed teens and young adults, and how they’re grotesque and only spread AIDS. They are complete abominations to the world.

Afterwards, Sally talks to Percy. She explains that it's okay if someone likes boys, girls, both, or neither. It doesn’t matter, in Percy’s mind. Gabe is selfish, and if so are the bisexuals, Percy wants to be nothing like Gabe. People are gross, he thinks. Mommy is the only one I’ll love.

 

 

When he’s eight, he first hears the word “gay” for the first time. It’s a gross word, he decides, to describe something that’s uncool. But then he’s ten years old, and his coolest friend says he’s gay, and that’s fine with Percy. He decides that it’s fine.

He doesn’t ask his mom what it means, though. However, Gabe hears him murmuring the word in his sleep. He wakes Percy up by slapping him out of the unconscious state, saying that he will kill Percy if that word is said in his house again.

“Those faggots are ruining our perfect society,” Gabe grumbles to Percy. “Don’t hang out with them, they’ll turn you.”

He hangs out with his friend anyway, he’s starting to not care about what Gabe thinks.

 

 

When Percy is twelve, he gets his first crush—its on a guy named Mitchell, a player on the Yancy Academy basketball team. There’s something alluring about him, the way he pulls his fingers through his hair when he gets frustrated during science. The way he’s kind to Percy and helps him with his English class. The way he laughs at Percy’s dumb jokes, and they become friends. The way they shared their first kiss with each other: exhausted in the early hours of the morning, having stayed up the entire time for a sleepover.

After that, Mitchell and Percy drift apart. Grover and Percy become inseparable, and Percy never speaks about the kiss. Little does he know, he’ll meet Mitchell again. That time, Percy will have a reputation and is leading him into battle. They meet each other’s eyes before they fight for their lives, and they know that they’re fine. After the battle, they catch up. Grover doesn’t ask, having the heard the gossipy rumours of Mitchercy.

But at first, he tried to befriend Nancy Bobofit—the red-headed klepto with braces, who followed him around like a little puppy. It changed, though, when they played Truth or Dare, in her dorm one night. She asked him if he had a crush.

He said no, and she said he was either lying or more broken than she had thought he had been. Maybe she was right, maybe he was broken. Maybe he wasn’t. It wasn’t long after that the bullying and taunting commenced.

 

 

When he’s thirteen, Percy seems to understand heartbreak. His hero tries to kill him—Luke Castellan tries to kill him. After that, he decides that he won’t stand for anyone else to fall into Luke’s trap. It’s hard to get Thalia out of the trance, and even harder to try and convince Annabeth to stop it, without sounding jealous. When he meets Ethan Nakamura, his heart breaks a little bit more. He knows what he feels, and tries to help him out. Ethan is already in too far, though. He’s fallen for Luke’s cause and charm.

Percy knows he could easily be Ethan, and tries not to focus too hard on it.

 

 

When Percy meets Nico, he sees a lot of himself in Nico—too much of himself. He already feels the ball of dread tangle itself in his stomach when he sees the all-too-eager peering looks at Percy like he’s a fantastical hero. Percy tries to derail him from that path, but the ball just curls up even more when Nico makes him promise to keep Bianca safe.

He fails himself, and he fails Nico di Angelo. He can imagine only part of what the little boy is feeling—a heartbreak of the worst type, and a dead sister. Nico deserves better, and Percy vows to protect Nico, unlike how he could protect the eldest daughter of Hades.

After the Titan War, Percy tries to help the teenage boy. He pushes him in the direction of the son of Apollo, Will Solace. A son of Apollo to help heal, nurture a torn heart. At the very least, Percy thinks, Nico deserves this friendship.

 

 

When Percy is seventeen, he panics. Nico comes out to him and Annabeth, and all Percy can do is freeze. He asks, “What do you mean not your type?!” Thankfully, Nico seems to know what Percy means.

That doesn’t stop the guilt from eating at Percy. Yet, when he makes eye contact with Jason Grace, he knows that he has help with protecting Nico from himself.

He feels better when he goes to get a glass of water during the late hours of the night and finds Leo Valdez and Nico laughing about a joke Percy is sure he wouldn’t get. He recognizes the look in both of their eyes and decides he can get that water in the morning.

 

 

After the Giant War, when the demigods get back to Manhattan, Percy tells his mother and Paul he’s bisexual. Sally envelopes him in a humongous hug, telling him how she’s so proud of him. Paul gives him a warm, fatherly hug. He makes sure Percy knows that Paul loves him.

Percy knows.

He tells Annabeth, too. She just kisses his cheek, and says: “Me, too, Seaweed Brain.” He sleeps well that night, but the guilt still eats at him.

 

 

The next night, he finds Nico sitting by the water. Percy sits next to him.

“I didn’t want to be your Luke,” Percy starts.

“I’m sorry?” Nico looks perplexed and turns to look at the eighteen year old.

“I loved Luke, I think. I could’ve easily joined over to his cause; he was good at talking you into his ideals. With the addition of his charm, personality, and looks? I was a goner. And then he started all the talk of a new age, and I couldn’t join him. Sure, the gods aren’t the best. At all. But they’re better than Kronos, or Gaea. So, I swore to myself I would never be a Luke. I wouldn’t use my leverage over people to my advantage. But I did that to you, and I failed you. I asked you to lead the others to the House of Hades. You didn’t have to, but I knew you couldn’t say no. I’m sorry.”

There’s a long pause, and Percy starts to think that it was way too much information. But at last, Nico speaks.

“Thanks. For the apology, I mean. And I’m sorry, too. I used your hero complex against you, and made you promise to the impossible.”

“You don’t need to apologize for that, Nico.”

Nico nodded, “Yes I do. But I forgive you, anyway.”

“I forgive you, too. For tricking me into going to the Underworld, and . . . that. Do you think we can be friends?”

The younger boy sighs, contemplative. “I don’t think I could ever not be friends with you, Percy Jackson. You’re too . . . you.”

“Yeah? Well then, if we’re friends, then I gotta ask. You and Leo?”

“Oh, shut up.” Nico blushes profusely under the moonlight.

Percy laughs, and Nico laughs with him. Everything is fine, he decides.

**Author's Note:**

> ay thanks for reading! this is my first work for this website, so i find it fitting that it's a percy jackson semi-character study. if u got any criticism please have it be constructive, and leave it in the comments :D
> 
> kudos & comments are appreciated!! thank uuu <3 <3 <3


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